


Heart of my Hearts

by Arynphallia



Series: A Wolf, a TARDIS and the Bonds Between Them [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Episode AU: s02e13 Doomsday, Meddling TARDIS, Multi, Multiple Doctors (Doctor Who), Not Beta Read, Telepathy, Time Lord Rose Tyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2020-08-14 15:20:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20194414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arynphallia/pseuds/Arynphallia
Summary: Too many years spent in the Vortex looking for a way to bring the Doctor back have taken their toll andnthe TARDIS has decided Rose needs some company.A season 3 rewrite with Rose instead of the Doctor.





	1. Chapter 1

Donna Noble is a star, sassy and brilliant, she makes Rose feel real again for the first time in... how long was Rose in the vortex? She never really checked. But that's beside the point. Donna forces her to behave like an actual person and as much as she loves the TARDIS, another humanoid reminds her that she's alive and makes her want to travel again. And when she drops Donna off at home, she immediately asks Donna to come with her.

"No." Donna says right off and Rose can't hide her flinch.

"Okay." Rose responds, trying to hide how despondent she is. 

Donna's face turns apologetic, "I can't." 

"No, that's fine." It really is. She can go back to the vortex for a while. Maybe finish the Articles of the Shadow Proclamation. It's a very long read that's been taking her ages to get through but the TARDIS has been insistent that she read it. 

"No, but really. Everything we did today. Do you live your life like that?"

"Not all the time. Not in a very long time." Rose says softly, the longing in her chest building.

"Not since you lost that Doctor bloke?" 

"Yeah." Rose chokes out and Donna seems to take pity on her.

"Tell you what I will do, though. Christmas dinner." Rose hesitates. "Oh, come on." She gestures for Rose to come inside.

Rose's smile is fragile but she hooks her arm through Donna's, "I think I can do that."

  
  


Nobody else is home so they order curry and drink too much wine together in front of the telly. It's so jarringly different from every Christmas Rose had growing up but it's exactly what she needs. 

By the time the wine is gone, Rose is feeling decidedly better than she has since Canary Wharf.

Around two, Donna's mum comes home and makes several snide comments about the days events. 

Donna's quick to bundle Rose out the door, trying to get her back to the TARDIS before the real arguing begins. "Am I ever going to see you again?" She asks when Rose leaves her side to step closer to the TARDIS. Aliens aside, Donna liked Rose, the girl had spirit, even though she seemed to have just lost everyone.

"If I'm lucky." Rose says, leaning against the TARDIS doors. 

"Just promise me one thing." Donna's voice is whisper quiet, "Find someone."

"I'll work on it." Rose responds. "Good luck, Donna Noble. And just be magnificent."

"I think I will, yeah."

Rose goes into the TARDIS and sends the ship into the vortex before slumping on the jump seat. She's still fairly tipsy, but it's just enough to make her feel hopeful.

The ship is thrumming with excitement and Rose finds it contagious, today hadn't been all terrible. The bad parts were bearable, at least. And she finally felt more like herself again, even if the Doctor's distinct absence clawed at her heart. Hearts. Right.

"Alright. Let's have another adventure." She says to the TARDIS, a slow grin spreading across her face, the first in months. Something is bubbling inside her, something that feels very Doctorish and she tries to remember what it was he said the last time he flew the ship. It was French. Right. "Allons-y!" She yells when she remembers, pushing the random button and throwing the materialization lever. She may not be the Doctor, but she can certainly pretend for a little while.


	2. Chapter 2

They open the glass doors and step out onto the balcony, it's only then that Rose realizes she and Martha are holding hands. They both take a deep breath and Rose grins, the Doctor would absolutely love this. 'Hospital on the moon, Rose.' He'd say, 'Absolutely brilliant!'

"We've got air. How does that work?" Martha wonders, pulling Rose from her musing. 

"Just be glad it does." Rose says, looking around for a stone or something similar, there's obviously a force field keeping the air in. But what kind remains to be seen.

"I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty first. My mother's going to be really, really-" she stops suddenly and Rose looks up to make sure she's not panicking.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She says shakely.

"Sure?"

"Yeah." More firmly this time, but there's still a bit of a quaver in her voice. 

"Want to go back in?" Rose offers.

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful." Martha's eyes are bright and Rose wonders if this was how she looked to the Doctor on her first trip.

"Do you think?" Rose asks carefully, testing the waters. Martha seems like companion material, if Rose's limited experience is anything to go by, maybe she could offer a trip or two after she gets the hospital back to earth.

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are." The wonder in her voice brings back Rose's grin.

"Standing in the Earthlight. Always loved the moon."

"What do you think happened?" Martha asks when Rose stands up, a small decorative rock in hand.

"What do you think?"

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home." 

"I'm sorry." Rose swallows the lump in her throat. "I was there, in the battle. Lost my best friend and my family."

Martha's expression transitions from sympathy to resolve in a matter of seconds. "I promise you, Miss Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"It's not Smith. That's not my real name." Rose says, wondering, not for the first time, if she should be handing out her real name.

"Who are you, then?" Martha asks curiously.

"M' name is Rose. Rose Tyler."

Martha's jaw drops. "You're kidding me? _The_ Rose Tyler?"

"You've heard of me?" Rose questions in disbelief, hearts racing.

"Heard of you? You're the hero of the Battle of Canary Wharf! Without you they would have never stopped the monsters. The footage has been circulating for months." There's a slight hint of hero worship in Martha's eyes and it makes Rose uncomfortable.

"It wasn't me. My friend is the one who came up with the plan. I held on longer than he did." She takes a deep breath, furiously pushing the memories away. There's potentially something very wrong here and she needs to focus. "Let's have a look. There must be some sort of-" she chucks her rock and it ricochetes off of a dome over head, sending a ripple down to the ground. "Forcefield keeping the air in."

"But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?" There's a slight hint of panic in Martha's voice now, but there's also complete trust and it shakes Rose to her core.

"How many people in this hospital?" Rose queries.

"I don't know. A thousand?" Martha speculates.

"One thousand people Suffocating." Rose muses. She's forming six separate plans in her head, trying to figure out exactly how she's going to save these people.

"Why would anyone do that?" Martha asks just as three spaceships fly over head.

"Ask them yourself."

"Oh, look down there," Rose comments cheerily, "you've got a little shop. My friend was obsessed with the little shops."

"Never mind that. What are Judoon?" 

"They're like police. Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs." Rose bites her tongue to keep from rambling. She's already picked up too many of the Doctor's mannerisms in his absence.

"And they brought us to the moon?" Matha asks, confused.

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, so they've isolated us. That rain and lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop." There is a slight thrill in being the smartest one in the room, typically she just tried to keep up with the Doctor and dealt with the more domestic parts. 

"What are you on about, galactic law? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" Martha fires off questions at an alarming speed and Rose can't help admire how firmly she holds onto her view of the universe, even if it is a bit off. 

"No, but I like that. Good thinking. I wish it were that simple. They're making a catalogue. That means they're after something non human," Rose says before a thought occurs to her: she isn't human anymore. "Which is very bad news for me."

"Why?" Martha wonders and Rose gives her a look, "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

Rose grins, "Come on then." She grabs Martha's hand and they take off, running from the Judoon.

***

Rose is using her sonic, trying to get into the computer to check patient records but nothing will come up. There seems to be something wrong with the entire system. 

"They've reached third floor." Martha calls and Rose changes settings. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver." Rose answers simply.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly." She turns back to the door and Rose huffs in annoyance.

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look." She holds her screwdriver up, the pink tips glowing as it whirls.

"What else have you got, a laser spanner?" Martha asks and Rose barks out a laugh.

"My friend did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, you'd like her I think. Cheeky woman." She tries one more setting on the sonic before she realizes the issue, "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon." Small grin for the alliteration. "Never, ever using the random button again. He presses random and she takes us to Woman Wept. I hit random and I end up in hospital on the moon, running out of air."

Martha seems to miss her comment. "But what were they looking for?"

"Something that looks human, but isn't." Rose starts to pace, trying to get her brain to process what she knows faster.

"Like you, apparently." Martha quips.

"Oi! I'm mostly human. Or I was. Anyway. They're not after me." She wonders , idly, if they're looking for the Doctor.

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Well, might be a shape-changer. more of those in the Universe than you'd think. At least three within traveling distance of Earth." Her pacing slows and she starts fiddling with her sonic instead.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha asks.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence everyone here to execution." Rose spits out, grateful that she read the articles of the Shadow Proclamation, otherwise she might be tempted to just let the Judoon do their thing too.

"All of us?" Martha pales.

"Yes. Galactic law is harsh. My friend, he and I did a lot of stuff to circumvent them." She turns back to the computer, ready to smash it.

"What are we looking for?" Martha is trying to be helpful and Rose is grateful.

"I don't know." She runs her fingers through her hair, another habit picked up from the Doctor. "Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." An idea occurs to her, "Maybe there's a back-up."

"Just keep working. I'll go ask Mister Stoker. He might know."

***

Martha literally runs into Rose in the hall. "I've restored the back-up. Nothing unusual."

"I found her." Martha says at the same time.

"You did?" A man in what looks like motorcycle gear breaks open the door. Rose grabs Martha's hand, a plan quickly forming. "Run!" She yells, pulling Martha along with her to the elevator. She points her sonic at it and with a short buzz the doors slide open.

"Are you mad?" Martha shouts and Rose laughs.

"Maybe a bit. When we get to the elevator, jump to the side." Martha catches on and at the last second they both dive to either side of the elevator, the slab keeps going and falls down the shaft. 

Martha laughs triumphantly. "Is it dead?"

"Was never really alive. I think it's just a Slab. Basic slave drones. Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." She adds with a giggle.

"But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant. Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mister Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack." Rose says, sonicing the elevator doors closed. "You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless. No. Yes, that's it. Wait a minute." Rose runs her hands through her hair and the solution comes to her. "Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mister Stoker's blood, mimic the biology, she'll register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to upload this from my phone because my computer is currently dead. Forgive me for any errors or fomating issues.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs." She glares at it for a moment. "I wish the Doctor was here. He's better at this than I am."

"Haven't you got back-up? You must have a partner or something?" Martha says, having not heard Rose.

"My backup is in another Universe. It's just me, Martha," Rose says bitterly before rounding the corner into a Judoon which quickly scans her.

"Non-human." It growls and Rose pales then grins.

"Ta, always nice to have a second opinion." She says cheekily.

"Oh my God, you really are. I didn't believe it."

Martha looks dizzy and Rose grabs her hand.

"Run."

They skid around the corner just before the Judoon fires its weapon. Rose quickly leads Martha up the stairs, noticing that more and more people are starting to slump onto the floor.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Rose asks.

"I'm running on adrenaline."

Rose chuckles, "Welcome to my world."

"What about the Judoon?" Martha wonders, always asking the right questions.

"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down. Where's Mister Stoker's office?" Martha grabs her hand.

"It's this way."

***

Then enter Stoker's office but only his body is there, paler than any corpse Rose has ever seen, counting the Gelth possessed ones.

"She's gone. She was here." Martha says, searching the room.

Rose scans the body with her sonic, "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. I think this means she's a plasmavore."

"What's she doing on Earth?"

"Hiding, probably. Lots of aliens use Earth to hide from their problems. But what's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." She gestures for Martha to follow. Martha pauses just long enough to close Stoker's eyes and then they're off again.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" Rose turns in a circle, looking around. The sign for the MRI catches her eye and she finds her answer.

"She's clever." Rose says quietly, her only option slowly presenting itself. There's a crash and screaming behind them.

"Find the non-human. Execute." She hears the Judoon yell before she turns to Martha.

"Martha, stay here. I need time. You've got to hold them up."

"How do I do that?" Maratha asks, bewildered.

"DNA transfer. Leave traces of my non-human DNA on you to confuse their scanners. Should buy me a few minutes." Rose winces, "Sorry about this." She leans over and licks the side of Martha's face from her chin to her temple. Martha shudders in revulsion and pulls away. 

Rose is already taking off down the hall and the Judoon are pounding the corner.

***

"Have you seen them?" Rose cries when she enters the MRI room, playing up the dumb chav bit. "There are these things. These great big space rhino things. I mean, rhinos from space. And we're on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. The nurses are lovely. I said to my sister, I said I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?" She forces herself to start crying, trying to look as unassuming and pitiful as possible.

"Hold her." The plasmavore says coldly. The remaining Slab steps out and grabs her arms.

  
  


Rose looks over at the MRI, "Er, that, that big er machine thing. Is it supposed to be making that noise?"

"You wouldn't understand." She says, brushing Rose off.

"But isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnetics GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same." She's never been more grateful for the TARDIS forcing her to study.

"The magnetic setting now increased to fifty thousand Tesla." The woman says with mad glee.

"That's a lot, isn't it?" she's desperately trying to get the plasmavore to explain her plan so she can figure out how to stop her.

"It'll send out a magnetic pulse that'll fry the brain stems of every living thing within two hundred and fifty thousand miles. Except for me, safe in this room." Rose swallows nervously.

"But er, hold on, hold on, I did geography GCSE. I passed that one. Doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon." She says smugly. "The other half will survive. Call it my little gift."

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've been working in this great little shop for five years. Love me a little shop." She rambles, hoping she looks like as much of an airhead as she feels. "But why would you do that?"

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape." Rose widens her eyes, like she's shocked.

"No, that's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien." 

"Quite so."

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has the place got an ET department?" She jokes, thinking the Doctor would have liked that.

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment ready to arm myself with should the police come looking." God the woman is smug and Rose just wants to smack her.

"So, those rhino things, they're looking for you? That's why they're increasing the scans?" She lies, trying to keep from looking at the door. 

The plasmavore pales, "They're doing what?" 

"Big chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans up to setting two?" Rose screws her face up like she's thinking really hard. "Yea, that's what he said."

"Then I must assimilate again."

"What, like the Borg? Please don't tell me you're like the borg."

"You're quite the funny girl. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. So much loss in your eyes. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady her." The Slab forces Rose to her knees and twists Rose so the plasmavore has a clear view of her neck.

"What are you doing?" Rose asks, the slightest bit panicked. What happens to the TARDIS if she dies here? She wonders.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember." She stabs Rose with her stupid little straw and sucks.

***

Florence is sucking away when the Judoon and Martha enter. The slab drops Rose, the plasmavore tucks her straw into her hand bag and Martha rushes to check Rose's pulse. 

"Now see what you've done. This poor girl just died of fright." The plasmavore says and the Judoon scan Rose quickly.

"Confirmation. Deceased."

"No, she can't be." Martha starts doing chest compressions. "Don't you dare die on me, Rose Tyler." 

Rose suddenly jerks upright under Martha's hands, eyes glowing golden. She groans loudly, holding her head. "Remind to never do that again."

Rose stands up quickly, swaying about and takes one of the scanners from a stunned Judoon. "Ta," she waves the scanner at the plasmavore and it lets out a happy sounding ding. She then presents the results to the Judoon.

"Non-human." He reads.

"But, what?" The plasmavore gasps.

"Confirm. Plasmavore, charged with the crime of murdering the child princess of Patrival Regency Nine." The Judoon is drawing a laser gun. Rose grabs Martha's hand and pulls her back.

"Well, she deserved it!" The woman yells. "Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

"Then you confess?"

"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab, stop them!" The Slab rushes forward but the Judoon vaporize it before it can do anything.

"Verdict, guilty. Sentence, execution." 

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. Burn in hell!" She dashes behind the screens and fiddles with the MRI. The Judoon all fire and her ashes settle gently on the ground.

"Case closed." They holster their weapons.

"That's right." Rose says. "But you've been interfering with a level five planet. You've also put the lives of everyone in this hospital at risk. Leave now. And return us as quickly as possible." Something is Rose's voice sends a shiver down Martha's spine and she's not surprised to see the Judoon scramble from the room. 

"But what did she mean, burn with me? The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something." Martha says, looking over the mess of wires.

"She did. And we're almost out of air. Go sit down Martha, try to breathe as normally as possible. Should help keep you conscious longer." Rose follows the twisted cables until she reaches their source and unplugs the machine, grinning as it powers down. "Any windows on this floor Martha?" She looks over but Martha has fainted. 

"Shit." Rose walks slowly into the hall, trying to keep her oxygen consumption at a minimum. There's a window just down the hall and she's looking out it when they're transported back to Earth. She whoops and breathes deeply.

***

Rose is gone when Martha is roused by paramedics, and what's worse, there's no record of her having ever checked into the hospital.

So Martha gets on with her day, wondering if she was actually drugged like they said on the news. Maybe she just made Rose up. It would make sense. Rose Tyler was a hero. Everyone knew that, so it would make sense that Martha's overworked, drugged brain would conjure up a hero to save her.

She proves herself wrong though, after the disaster that is Leo's birthday dinner and she sees Rose standing at the mouth of an alley nearby.

"You're real." She says simply when she finally chases Rose down.

"You went to the moon today, Martha Jones, and you doubted I was real?" Rose has a cheeky grin on her face and Martha cant help but grin back.

"You never even told me who you are." 

Rose hesitates. "Yes I did. I'm Rose Tyler." 

"But that's impossible, Rose Tyler was human. She grew up on the Powell Estate and she died saving everyone on the Battle of Canary Wharf." Martha quickly lists everything she knows and Rose's eyes darken.

"How do you know all that?" 

"It's all over. They're putting up a statue in your honor. And a reporter did a bio on you. It was lovely." Martha tries to remember who the reporter is but the name eludes her.

Rose grips Martha's shoulders, "Do you still have that article?"

"Yeah, its pinned to my fridge." Martha blushes, "I like reading it on bad days."

"Where do you live?" Martha rattles off an address, Rose pulls on her hand and starts leading her into the blue box they've been standing in front of. "Come on. I need to see this article."

"In there?" Martha asks incredulously. "What use is a wooden box gonna be?"

Rose laughs, "Don't worry, its roomy." She pulls Martha inside and Martha freezes, dropping Rose's hand before going outside and running back in.

"But it's- that's impossible." She goes outside one more time and Rose is clutching at her sides with laughter. "It's bigger on the inside!"

"God, I get it now. Always thought he was a prat, getting excited about peoples reactions but that's amazing to watch." Rose goes over to the console. "This is the TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S. Time and relative dimension in space. I could give you a bunch of techno babble about how it all works but it's a bit dull and I've got more pressing matters. Anyways, she's my friends spaceship." 

"TARDIS." Martha says, trying out the word. Rose is moving around the console, flipping leaves and hitting buttons at a speed that surprises Martha.

"Don't worry, I'm just taking you home. I want to read that article." The whole room shudders and the column in the center moves up and down before they land gently.

"We've moved?" Martha says with wonder.

"Have a look outside. Should be in your flat next to the tele." Marth steps out and gasps in shock. They are in her flat, just as she left it before going out. 

"Oh my god."

"Yeah, I know. Can be a bit shocking at first. Kitchen this way?" Rose says, strolling over to the fridge without confirmation. She pulls the article off the fridge and a soft smile brightens her face. "Sarah-Jane, of course."

Her face falls as she reads the paper, "Martha, do you know where I can look at that security footage? Is it online?"

Martha grabs her lap top and pulls up the footage as quickly as possible. "It's all over. Everyone has been sharing it because they think you're amazing."

It's just a small clip of the final part of the worst day of her life, just the part when she and the Doctor opened the void but watching him fall towards the void is too much and she starts crying again. The footage cuts off shortly after.

"But why me?" Rose wonders, wiping her tears away. "Why not make the Doctor a hero? He was there with me." She mulls it over while Martha putters around her flat, changing into comfy clothes, she’s trying to give Rose space and its appreciated. Rose shakes herself. "So, Martha Jones, fancy a trip?"

"What?" Martha asks, looking up from the tea she's making.

"Just figured, you know about the TARDIS, and you were brilliant today. Thought it would be fun to ask you along." Rose pick at her hands nervously.

"I can't." Martha says and Rose's heart plummets. "I have exams and studying and work."

Rose grins, "That's no problem. Didn't I mention that she travels in time too?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martha comes to a starting realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest, the only reason I had the motivation to write this was your lovely comments so thank you so much! This is for you guys!

It's a series of small moments that sends Martha careening over the edge into a full blown crush on Rose Tyler. 

There was already the slightest bit of hero worship; everyone had heard about the Savior of Earth, the Hero of the Battle of Canary Wharf. Meeting her in the flesh and seeing just how nice and kind she is, is intoxicating. They say never meet your heroes but Martha is glad she's met Rose Tyler. 

And oh the little things; those small, simple moments that turn a slight crush into something bordering on devotion. She learns more about Rose's character in their first three trips than she's ever known about anyone. 

***

"So, past or future?" Rose asks.

"You mean I get to pick?" Martha says, awestruck.

"Of course. Your first trip, your choice. Any one you'd like to meet? Anything you've always wanted to see?" Rose leans against the console, a brilliant smile on her face.

"Shakespeare." Martha says without hesitation, "I'd love to meet Shakespeare."

"Alright. 1599 should work right? Never liked Shakespeare much myself, but seeing it live will be exciting." She spins around the console, setting everything just right. "Ready to go, Martha Jones?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." 

Rose grins wolfishly and throws the last lever. The TARDIS groans and shakes around them, but its calm compared to how she flew when the Doctor was driving. 

There's a gentle thud and Rose points at the doors, "Through those doors, Martha, is 1599 and I can't wait to show you. But first things first. You need to change."

"Change?" Martha wonders.

"Yeah, can't go walking 'round in 1599 dressed the way we are. It would start a riot."

Rose gestures for her to follow and starts leading her to the wardrobe room.

Martha freezes suddenly, ,"I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?"

Rose pauses, "You know, I don't actually know. Never really had issues in history before. Only time I was ever carted off as a slave was on this beautiful planet in the Andromeda galaxy." The TARDIS hums loudly, startling Martha and Rose nods, "TARDIS says you should be fine and I can just say you're my maid if things get tricky." She glances at Martha, "If that's okay."

Martha takes a deep breath, "I suppose it comes with the territory."

"The TARDIS promised me it shouldn't be an issue. I won't let anything happen to you Martha." Martha takes a deep breath and relaxes. 

"Okay, I trust you."

Rose smiles and opens the door they've stopped in front of. "Welcome to the wardrobe room."

The wardrobe room is massive, three stories of never ending clothing. There's a spiral staircase in the center leading up to the other floors. "Rose, this is insane!" Martha exclaims in delight.

"I know! I nearly spent an hour in here the first time I saw it." She smiles fondly at the room, "So, are you willing to go full native or do you want to keep your modern underwear?"

"When in Rome?" Martha says hesitantly.

Rose laughs, "Don't worry about it. Whatever you're more comfortable with. I prefer the historical stuff, but that's me." 

"I'll try it." Marth responds confidently.

"Probably best, the multiple drawstring skirts get a bit uncomfortable without stays." Rose goes over to a rack laden with a myriad of undergarments, shuffling through the pile until she comes up with two sets of stays. She sets them on a small table and flits around the room, gathering the other under things Martha will need. "Rack to the left of the door will have period dresses, pick what you like." 

Martha goes through the dresses and settles on a light green dress. She turns to show Rose, but the blonde has disappeared. "Rose?" Martha calls.

Rose's blonde head suddenly appears from inside one of the racks. "Did you find something?" She untangles herself from the rack and examines the dress. "That's lovely. It'll look great with your skin. There's a screen over there. Go strip and put this on," she hands Martha something that looks like a night dress. "I can help with the rest."

***

Martha receives a whole education on the period fashion by the time she and Rose are both dressed. She's also blushing furiously. Rose is not shy. She roams around the room in the sheer shift that Martha can definitely see through, not that Martha is looking, but her skin is such a creamy color and she looks stunning in a blue dress that's the same color as the TARDIS that Martha can't help but imagine what she looks like naked. 

It's an embarrassing thought that she quickly suppresses. She's here for a bit of fun, not to ogle the driver. 

Rose let's Martha exit the ship first and grins at Martha's unrestrained excitement.

"It's mental, isn't it?" Rose says, grinning. "It's still Earth, still London, but everything is so different."

"Thank you!" Martha cries, grabbing Rose in a fierce hug. "I would have never imagined I could do this."

"It's my pleasure. Now come on, the show will be starting soon."

***

New Earth helps Martha see Rose's endless compassion and its intoxicating to watch her work. She's quick to talk the attempted car jackers down and learn their story. From there its a meeting with a cat nun and a weird floating head in a jar that gives Rose a special message and they're back in the TARDIS, ready to move on. 

"What do you think he meant?" Martha asks when they're in the galley eating dinner. 

"Who?" Rose responds, twirling pasta on her fork. 

"The Face of Boe. The whole 'you're not alone' thing."

Rose sighed and pushed her plate away. "I don't know. I've only ever met him twice. And that bit about a 'lonely traveler' sounds a lot more like the Doctor than me. It's probably something I won't understand until it happens to me. Time travel is like that sometimes."

They were both quite for a moment, "Anyway," Rose said, breaking the silence. "New New York was a bit of a bust. Want to try old New York tomorrow?"

"Sure, why not?" 

There's something about traveling with Rose that makes Martha feel incredibly important, like she's always making a difference but sometimes she also feels like a tag along, desperately clinging to Rose like a child. 

She lies awake in bed for hours her first night aboard, staring up at the starry ceiling and trying to figure out how she can be more useful to Rose. Trying to figure out why Rose would choose her to go on the adventure of a lifetime. 

The morning of old New York, she wakes up bleary eyed but Rose is in the galley waiting with a cuppa that's the best Martha has ever had and breakfast. It's brilliant and Martha feels more like a person when she heads back to her room to change clothes. 

The day does not go well. She doesn't understand Rose's fear when she sees the dalek things but the steely resolve in her eyes would be terrifying if Martha didn't trust Rose implicitly. 

"So are you and her a thing?" Tallulah had asked. 

"Oh, no no no. I'm not- we're not- she'd never-" Martha stutters and blushed furiously. 

Tallulah laughs, "It's okay, honey. We're in New York, no one cares. There's a bunch of pansy clubs down the street. One of the dancers in my line has a girl and a boy waiting at home for her. Ain't nothing wrong with it."

Martha continues to blush and stutter and deny it until Tallulah pats her hand affectionately. "Don't worry about it. You'll get comfortable someday. I gotta go do my set. Sit tight and remind me to introduce you to Marge. She could put you and Rose in touch with other community members."

Martha can't look at Rose without blushing for the rest of the trip. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMORTANT: the Lazerus Experiment is not the next episode. This is actually set after 42 but the Laserus Experiment hasn't happened yet

"Alright." Rose says, handing Martha a credit stick as they step out of the TARDIS. "Most of your general shopping; knickknacks, clothes and such, is that way. There's a cafe next to the fountain in the main square. I'll meet you there in two hours." It strikes her suddenly, just how odd this is. Here she is; playing the role of the Doctor, off to buy parts for the TARDIS while her companion wanders the markets. 

Sometimes she wonders if she's turning into the Doctor. She's got the TARDIS, a good majority of his technical knowledge and a sonic screwdriver. She also seems to have a tendency to run from her emotions now.

Martha checks the time before giving Rose a teasing salute and wandering off into the crowd. Well. That's at least one way she's different from the Doctor: she actually let's her companions wander. Some times. Only when it's safe. 

But the differences are important. She has to remind herself of who she was before. With the TARDIS now a fixed presence in her head, it's hard to remember that she started out as a nineteen year old girl from a council estate in London. Too many years spent in the time vortex can do that to you.

She shakes her head to clear it and quickly searches through the mechanic's paradise in the western part of the market. The planet itself is simply called Market 8 and it's the best place in the 89th century to get any ship parts that would be close to compatible with the TARDIS. It also has one of the most diverse spice markets in six galaxies; it's easy to get lost in the dizzying array of flavors and colors, but hopefully Martha stays in the general goods section. 

The TARDIS needs a new thermo stabilizer after that incident with the living sun. It's been two weeks and Rose is still having nightmares about the sun burning through her body. Martha, so far, hasn't shown the slightest issue with anything she's seen and Rose is starting to wonder if it's a brave front. Though, the two weeks of peaceful planets and festivals have done a world of good for them both.

***

Generally, Rose likes to think that she pays attention to the people around her. There's an extra awareness that comes from being bonded with the TARDIS, but even when she was purely human and more naïve, she had paid close attention to those around her. 

How she misses the Doctor standing right next to her, she'll never know. 

Maybe it's because he's her first Doctor and not the one from her current time stream, but like some ridiculous cliche from a rom-com, their hands reach for the same time oscillator and connect. The contact sends a jolt up her spine and she nearly gasps.

When she looks up from the oscillator and into those painfully familiar blue eyes her mouth falls open in shock and she stops breathing.

"Rose?" He questions, eyes narrowing with suspicion. He looked her up and down, taking in what must be obvious differences in her appearance. He knows her, which means she's probably traveling with him, but her blue leather jacket is something he's never seen on her and she knows her hair is less platinum and more honey blonde now.

Her mouth opens and closes as she searches for words. What can she possibly say? 'Hello there Doctor, I'm from almost a years after your regeneration. And the you current to my time stream is trapped in a parallel universe'? Yeah. That would go over so well. 

His eyes turn dark at her hesitation and he takes a step closer to her. "What are you?" It's only then that she registers his telepathic presence curiously tapping at her mental shields. 

She makes a split second decision; grabs the parts she's been looking at, including the oscillator; tosses the shop keep more than enough money in the local currency, which is what most of these parts dealers prefer to credits; and does what she's done best since she met him: runs. 

"Oi!" He calls, chasing after her. 

Well this is a right mess, she thinks to herself as she weaves through the market. It's also possible that there's a younger version of herself wandering through the market- Martha. Oh this could all go terribly wrong. But why would the TARDIS bring her here if there was such risk?

The ship in question sends a wave of chagrin Rose's way. Apparently, this is exactly what she had intended. 

He's still chasing after her so she darts down an ally that should take her back to the TARDIS, a quick hop to the fountain to grab Martha and then she can go and pretend that she hadn't seen him today. 

The doors open as she turns the last corner and she's finally home safe. She slams the door behind her and flies around the console, trying to start the dematerialization sequence but the controls are locked. 

"Don't do this to me." She cries, clutching the console. "Please. What am I supposed to say you him?"

There's almost a pause, like the TARDIS is considering her response but the Doctor comes barreling through the doors and Rose realises the bloody ship was just stalling for time. He freezes on the ramp and she crosses her arms as he looks around the console room in confusion. 

It's not a big change, between how it looked before she lost her Doctor and now, mostly everything seems softer, more organic. The lighting is brighter too, more like natural sunlight through windows.

Apparently, this is the default setting for someone bonded to a TARDIS the way she is, simply because it allows the TARDIS itself to be as 'natural' as possible. 

"It's different." He says slowly, in that way he does when he's trying to puzzle out something that seems impossible. 

"Yes, she is."

His icy blue eyes land on her. "You're not human."

"No, I'm not. That all right?" She cant resist asking, just for the thrill of repeating his words back to him. 

"Are you actually Rose Tyler?" He retorts.

Rose frowns, "When are you? When did you last see me?"

"You said no." She flinches at his biting tone and then realizes exactly what he's saying. 

"You're supposed to go back. Ask me again."

"I never ask twice." 

God doesn't that bring up memories. "Yes, but you left out the most important part."

"Oh?"

Rose runs a hand over the console, "She also travels in time." 

He glances around the console room again, seeming to really take it in. "Where am I, then? Always enjoy having a go when I accidentally run into myself. And honestly? This desktop theme is terrible."

The TARDIS hums indignantly and Rose glares at him. "We happen to like it, thank you very much."

His expression softens with understanding. "You're alone, aren't you?"

"No, not alone. I have a friend. She travels with me."

"But I'm not here?" Rose shakes her head slowly. "Rose, what happened?"

Tears of frustration build in her eyes, "You know I can't tell you."

"You're right. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He turns to leave but she stops him, unwilling to let him leave her again. 

"Doctor, wait!" She rounds the console and throws herself into his arms, breathing in the familiar scent of his leather jacket. "I miss you." She whispers into his chest and delights when he returns the hug. 

He squeezes her tight for a moment, just like he always did before slowly pulling away. "Rose Tyler, go be fantastic." 

She can see the burning curiosity in his eyes, the eager desire to know what happened to him, what happened to her. "Don't worry about me, Doctor. I've got the TARDIS and Martha. Not the stuff of legends but near enough, I think." She tells him before realizing he won't understand. He hasn't said that yet. Won't say it for at least a year. 

But he smiles his daft grin anyway, like he does actually understand the significance and who knows, maybe he does, and leaves the TARDIS. 

Her nightmares stop after that. No more burning suns and feeling inadequate because she barely remembers what happy primes are, but definitely knows that Elvis had more hit number ones than the Beatles. 

_And _she actually replaces the thermo stabilizers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, it's the Doctor on a dimension canon adventure!

The Doctor stumbled and came to a halt, clutching at his head. Dimension jumps always made his senses reel as they tried to adjust to the new flow of the web of time wherever he landed. As the dizziness faded and his time sense settled, he realized that it was raining and that the rain had begun to soak through the paltry copy of his coat and into his suit. The version Janis Joplin had given him was still on the TARDIS, hopefully Rose hadn't done anything to damage it.

Not that he thought she would. But still. Easier to worry about his coat rather than Rose herself

He gave the sky his best Oncoming Storm glare, hoping to chase the rain clouds away. Of course it would be raining. His time senses finally recovered and rudely informed him that this wasn't the prime universe. That wasn't too important though. The odds of jumping directly into the prime universe were astronomical. No, his mission here was to gather information. 

He needed to find out how this parallel differed from the prime universe. For some reason, no matter how much he fiddled with the canon, he couldn't get it to lock back on to the universal coordinates he'd had memorized since he was a Time Tot. 

Fifty jumps and while every one seemed to bring them closer back to the original, they still couldn't seem to get a proper lock. So until then, it was trial and error, finding the places each parallel seemed to branch off. Then he could compare the data and recalibrate the canon accordingly.

He set off, wandering the city, generally searching for an internet cafe or some other way to google people he knew. Pete and Jackie were always the easiest, their timelines fairly consistent with only minor changes on whether they were together or not. Though, finding them always proved to be a bit of a challenge. In one universe they'd be happily together in the same unit of the Powell Estate that Rose and Jackie'd lived in. Others, they were fabulously wealthy and lived outside of London. The more depression parallels, they'd been together and separated for whatever reason. Of course, nine times out of ten, his meddling and information gathering would bring them back together. 

Strangely though, Rose seemed to be a universal singularity, only present in the prime, no matter how much the various Petes and Jackies tried for kids. There were other children sure, but even in the one parallel he'd found that most closely resembled their own, Jackie'd been living on the Estate with a son named Tony that was at least ten years younger and not anything like Rose at all. 

His com-link beeped and he quickly answered. "How long have I got this time, Pete?"

Pete gave a long suffering sigh. "_ Control. _ Doctor." He stressed. They'd been trying to get the Doctor to use the proper term for ten jumps now but it just didn't seem to stick. "You've got twenty-four hours."

"Thanks Pete, I'll call if I find anything." He replied, smirking as Pete gave another exasperated sigh and rang off. 

An arm reached out and grabbed him, keeping him from stepping off the edge of the sidewalk and into a very large puddle. "Watch it, mate. You're already not properly dressed as it is. Don't want to fall in and look like even more of a drowned rat." 

Something about that voice tickled the back of the Doctor's mind. A nice, soft tenor, even if it was slightly chastising, with that specific brand of cockney native to Peckham. "Right, yeah, thanks for that." He said, shifting as he tried to figure out why the blond twenty something with brown eyes seemed so familiar. Had the Doctor met this boy before? Maybe he lived on the estate and he'd seen him at one of the events he'd begrudgingly (delighted in) attending for Rose. Shireen's wedding? No, not there. But where then?

"Want a chip?" The boy asked playfully, moving closer to cover them both with his very convenient umbrella and offer a paper bag full of fresh, steaming chips. The Doctor hadn't actually eaten chips since- it'd been months but they smelled amazing and he hadn't eaten anything for two days, a regular feat while living with Jackie Tyler. "Unless, your mother told you to never take chips from strangers." Then the boy smiled; a brilliant flash of white teeth with just the slightest hint of tongue in the corner and the Doctor's world turned on its head. 

He took a chip from the bag in a daze, eyes riveted on that smile. He knew that smile. That was _ his _ smile, the one Rose only ever smiled at him. And he should know, his last body had carefully cataloged everything he could about Rose, desperately trying to memorize her and this self had been no better, coveting each and every one of those smiles Rose had ever given him. "What my mum doesn't know won't hurt her."

The grin got wider, a full on tongue-in-teeth grin that the Doctor had been starting to assume was unique in the multiverse. There was no doubt about it, that was definitely his smile, somehow perfectly copied onto the face of a stranger that may-or-may-not-be, but most likely was, a version of Rose. It made his whole body ache with longing. The last time he'd seen that smile had been so long ago. "My name's Rob, Rob Tyler. What's your's?"

"The Doctor." He replied, wondering what response he'd get. 

Rob tilted his head, exactly like Rose did when she was trying to figure something out, eyebrows narrowing in concentration. "Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor." 

"The Doctor?" Rob asked incredulously and the Doctor nodded, stunned by how similar this was to when Rose had first asked his name. "Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of." The Doctor said, nearly choking as he repeated words his last self has said. 

"Well then, 'the Doctor', come on." Rob had threaded their fingers together without the Doctor even noticing until he gave a slight tug. "There's a cafe over there and you look like you're in need of a cuppa. Unless you have somewhere else to be?" 

The Doctor shook his head and let what could only be a parallel version of Rose pull him into the crowded cafe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who've listened to the Dimension cannon audio drama will recognize this as The Flood. I've decided to play with it a bit


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fobwatched Rose, with a surprise :)

Rose had been sitting on the hill just outside of town for nearly two hours now. It was a nice grassy spot, perfectly situated underneath an old oak tree. Of course, when winter came, she'd be more confined to the school and the precious warmth of the indoors. But for now, it was a fair fall day and she had her shawl and the weak sunshine to keep her warm. 

Martha would disapprove of her being out here. Would probably fret and worry that she'd catch a cold. But what Martha didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

The view from the hill was decent; she could see the length of the main street of Farringham, which she'd been sketching for the last hour. The first hour had been dedicated to tidying up the other sketches she had. It always suprised her how vivid the creatures in her dreams were, even during her waking hours. 

She looked down at her sketchbook, comparing her rough drawing against the actual town. The butcher's shop was just a bit off. She erased a section of the roof and re-drew it, pleased with the improvement. 

She looked back up, ready to start adding the automobile parked in front of the mercantile when her gaze was drawn to an odd man in a tweed jacket. He had two companions trailing behind him, walking arm-in-arm as he bounced about, waving his arms in an exaggerated fashion. Rose giggled, he seemed quite the spirited fellow. 

Rose quickly added his form, trying to get him into the drawing as quickly as possible. With how quickly he was moving, it proved difficult to find a single pose to trap his image in. 

The trio disappeared into a shop and Rose sighed in frustration. In her preoccupation with the man, the automobile had left, and so had the carriage at the end of the street. 

She slowly packed her things away and made her way back down the hill, she wasn't due back at the school till supper and she still needed to pop into the tailor's for a new (well, new to her) dress. 

Walking through town always filled her with a sort of melancholy, her hand felt empty without one to hold. 

"Come along, Pond!" A voice called and Rose couldn't resist looking towards the call. Farringham was a small town, and Rose knew for a fact that no one in town had a voice like that. 

It was the man from before. From this closer distance, Rose could see now that he was all gangly limbs and slightly bowed legs. There was something in his posture that made him look constantly ready to run. He adjusted a strange sort of bowtie as the couple she'd seen following him stepped out. "Hold your horses, Doctor." A woman with bright orange hair said. She seemed to be struggling with a hat. 

The other member of their party took the hat from her and easily settled it on her head and pinned it in place. "There you go." He gave her hand a quick kiss. They must be married, Rose realized. Or atleast courting? With the third, bowtied man serving as a sort of chaperone perhaps? But she'd never seen any of them before, so it was much more likely they were married and the man with the bowtie was a close friend or relative. 

Rose clutched at the strap of her bag. She had a nagging urge to approach them. To introduce herself. But that was silly. One didn't go around introducing themselves to random strangers. 

The man with the bowtie suddenly turned and met her gaze. His jaw dropped and Rose flushed, glancing away quickly, embarrassed at having been caught starting. 

She quickly went back down the sidewalk, hoping to avoid any awkwardness. She wasn't watching where she was going however, and completely missed the door that swung open into her face. 

*

"Doctor?" Amy called, waving a hand in front of his face. He pushed her hand away, trying to keep his eyes on the woman-that-couldn't-possibly-be-Rose. He watched a door open in her face and she fell. His feet were moving before he could think. It'd been so long since his protect-Rose instincts had been activated, but there they were, out in full force. 

He couldn't pull out the sonic, not in this timezone, especially if he didn't want a bunch of stupid questions. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and was on his knees by her side in an instant. It seemed the door had knocked her clean out. Or that might have been hitting her head on the way down. 

"I'm a Doctor." He said to the small crowd slowly gathering around. 

He tenderly presses his fingers to Rose's (not Rose, couldn't be Rose) scalp, looking for- and there it was. Nice lump starting to form. 

"Mrs Smith!" A feminine voice gasped behind him.

He turned to look at the lanky teenage girl that was peering over his shoulder. "Is she going to be alright, sir?"

"Just a nasty bump to the head." He explained. "We should probably get her out of the street."

"Right you are, sir." A burly man said. "I suppose you're one of those traveling doctors with no office to take 'er to. I'll put 'er up in my hotel until she can get home."

Amy quickly stepped in, explaining who she and rory were and thanking the man for his help. 

"'S no trouble at all, Miss Rose is a valued part of our community. She's been giving my daughter drawing lessons on her days off."

The Doctor flinched. So this woman was also named Rose. Didn't mean anything. He carefully picked her up and had to hold back a groan. She even _ smelled _ like his Rose. "Alright, I'll get Mrs. Smith situated then, come along Amy. You and I both know it isn't proper for her to be alone with a man. Rory, try to find out where her family is." He managed without snapping, stalking off into the hotel.

"Right this way, I 'ave a nice room on the first floor. Should make treating her easier if you're not 'aving to go up and down the stairs. I'll send your brother in law in when he gets back." He handed Amy the room key and walked away. 

Amy unlocked the door and the Doctor shoved past her, moving inside to set Rose (_ not Rose! _) on the bed. He pulled out the sonic and scanned her. Human. Ha! There. He was right. Just some human that looked like Rose. 

"Doctor?" Amy asked, "Who is she? Why are you suddenly all broody protective caveman?"

"I- what? I don't-" the Doctor stammered. "I'm not all 'broody protective caveman'."

"Yes you are." Amy crossed her arms and looked him up and down. "Look at the way you're sitting next to her. Its obvious."

"She looks like someone I knew once." He bit out, not wanting to have this conversation. 

"Someone who's gone?" Amy pried and he nodded. "How do you know that's not her?"

"Because my Rose is gone, Amy! Gone where I can never see her again, it's all my fault because I left her behind. I don't even know if she's dead or alive and I can't decide which is worse!"


	8. Chapter 8

"I want more from life, Martha!" Rose shouted, her temper finally lost. "I want more than working in a library at some pretentious boys school where they don't see my worth and they treat you like something less than human. I'm tired of going to the local for a pint and having to sit outside. I'm sick of being treated like some delicate flower just because my husband is dead!" They'd been going back and forth for nearly an hour, Martha insisting that Rose needed to be careful about letting this new John Smith too close and the potential heartbreak that could follow. 

But Rose just wanted to be with him.

All of the anger and fight left her and she collapsed on the bed. "I just want something better than this out of my life. And I want something better for you too."

Martha settled next to her, gently rubbing her back. "I know, Rose. But running off with some stranger you just met is never a good idea. What do you know about Mr. Smith any way, aside from him being a traveling doctor? Does he even want to take you with him?"

"Martha, he's come to see me after work everyday this week and he bought me a new sketchbook." Rose mumbled into her pillow before turning her head to the side so Martha could hear her properly. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but he reminds me of my John so strongly. I feel as if I've known him for years." 

Martha sighed and did the math in her head. Two weeks were left until she could have the real Rose back. The Rose that didn't have a dead husband hanging over her head. The Rose traveled through all of time and space and wasn't stuck in bloody 1913 where, apparently, everyone aside from Rose was racist. The Rose that Martha may or may not be head over heels in love with. 

"Alright, Rose." Martha says quietly, hating every second that she has to lie. "But please, wait until the end of term, that's only two weeks. And then you and I can go together, provided this bloke of your's will have me."

***

The Doctor couldn't stand still as he waited for Rose. Because she was Rose, his Rose. He knew that now. Amy and Rory were starting to get restless; he'd never stayed in one place with them for so long before. But he couldn't just leave. Not when there was a strange version of Rose wandering around 1913 with no memories. He was missing something, something big, but until he could find Rose’s TARDIS he was stuck with the scraps of information gathered from the people in town.

He could ask Martha, he supposed. But that would involve explanations and possible memory wipes, when it was so much easier to just wander around the town and look for trouble. Plus, this way, Rose would never know that he'd been her and he could resist the temptation to change the timelines.

He couldn't, no matter how much his entire being longed to rectify one of the worst mistakes of his very long life.

Martha came out of a side door and nearly ran into him, "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, I didn't see you there." He watched her slip a silver fob watch into her pocket and finally the pieces settled together. The Chameleon Arch. Of course. That's why Rose was human. But what could possibly be dangerous enough that the TARDIS would pull that old thing out?

"It's quite alright," he replied, trying to remember that he had to play along. "Will Rose be out soon?"

"I expect so. I was let off a few minutes early so I'm off for my evening walk." She gave him a quick curtsey before rushing off down the road and the Doctor couldn't help but chuckle. From what he knew about Martha Jones, this entire time period had to be grating on her. She was much too clever for any of this.

He looked around, checking that it was clear before pulling his sonic out. Several quick scans revealed that Martha had left a lovely, easy to follow, trail of arton energy behind. And it was probably safe to bet that she was on her way to the TARDIS right now. Brilliant. He’d take Rose on their evening walk and go to find the ship after. 

***

This was getting dangerous. The Doctor realized as he dropped Rose off back at the school. She’d kissed him on the cheek and it’d run under his skin like an electric current, lighting up every single nerve. He felt like he could float away. But he wasn't allowed to. He had to remember that Rose couldn’t just come with him when this was all over. He was going to lose her. Again.

He gave himself a little shake to clear his head and straightened his bowtie. He had more important things to do right now than pining over Rose. The sonic picked up Martha’s trail so easily, leading him over the hills and fields to an old barn. The door was slightly ajar and made a racket loud enough to wake the solitary cow that inhabited this bit of pasture. She moo’d at him, rather put out at having her sleep interrupted but the Doctor ignored her, focused on the beautiful blue blox who was flashing her light at him. “Hello, Dear.” He said, “What trouble have you gotten into now?”

  
The TARDIS hummed as he opened the door and stepped inside, marveling at the differences in the console room. It was so bright and open, the console itself looking more organic than any console he’d ever seen. He couldn’t resist running a hand along the edge, marvelling at how smooth the coral was. 

The monitor let him pull up diagnostics but those only told him that the old girl was in low power mode, “Little help?” he asked, “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.” 

The TARDIS hummed again flashing a light over what had to be- “The telepathic circuit. What do you want me using that for?” 

She simply flashed her lights again so he went over and hooked himself up. Images whirled in his mind and it took every single bit of experience the Doctor had to keep from panicking when he felt Rose’s past fear wash over him in waves. 

_ "Just run!" Rose shouted as she pulled Martha along behind her. They'd been on the run for weeks and just when Rose had finally thought they were safe, there they were again; the Family of Blood. _

_ She and Martha rounded a corner, straight into a dead end, still two miles from the TARDIS. Rose said a few choice words that her mother would have slapped her for saying and turned back the way they came but it was too late. There were four people now that had been killed while they were running and Rose didn't even know their names.  _

_ "Nowhere to run now, little TARDIS sister." The older woman said. "Son-of-mine, do you think her TARDIS will mourn her?" _

_ The teenage boy laughed darkly, "She won't be alone for long. Can you imagine it, Father-mine, Sister-mine? A living TARDIS, ready for the taking. Death shall never claim us." A deadly sort of calm settled over Rose and she could feel the TARDIS feeding her instructions. It was rare that the TARDIS spoke so directly to her so she made a point to listen.  _

_ "Martha," Rose said quietly, "I need you to wrap your arms around my waist and hold on, tight as you can. Even if it hurts, you can't let go, alright?" _

_ Martha did as she asked, looking confused as Rose closed her eyes, "Rose what are you doing?" Martha felt Rose suddenly grow very warm.  _

_ Rose didn’t respond, there was a bright flash and Martha felt like she was being torn apart. There was wind roaring in her ears and a sharp pressure before Rose suddenly collapsed against her. "Rose!" Martha cried, sinking to the floor to keep Rose from falling.  _

_ Rose was panting her eyes closed and a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. Rose groaned and opened her eyes, blearily looking around the console room. "Good, wasn't sure that would work." It was only then that Martha realized they were in the TARDIS. “God, that’s worse than the time Jack and I drank that entire bottle of hyper vodka.” _

_ "What did you do?" Martha asked while trying to take Rose’s pulse. “Your hearts are beating incredibly fast, even for you.” _

_ "'S like a teleport. Pulled us into the TARDIS. It puts a lot of stress on my body, especially if I’m carrying someone with me." Rose groaned again and pulled away from Martha, trying to stand. "I've got to get up. They're not giving up so I have to hide." _


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor jerked away from the telepathic circuit, breaking the connection. He leaned against the console, trying to get his breath back and calm his racing hearts. He hadn’t been expecting the memory to include Rose’s emotions like that and he could still feel how terrified she’d been. “I have to go.” he said aloud to the TARDIS. “If the Family catches wind of my scent, this will all have been for nothing.”

The TARDIS made a rather shrill noise that she only ever made when he was about to do something stupid. He realized his mistake then, his scent was already all over Rose. The Family could easily track his scent and find Rose here, defenceless. “I have to stay. I can’t just leave her.”

The TARDIS seemed to agree with him and made the view screen flicker to life with a video of Rose. The Rose on screen smiled ruefully and explained rather efficiently what was going to happen, how long Martha would have to wait and an apology with a promise of future spa days. Most of which he already knows, but the Doctor doesn't really hear any of it. He's too entranced by Rose’s expressions, he hadn’t noticed before how different the human Rose was from his Rose. But with the evidence right in front of him, it was nearly impossible to ignore the societal conditioning and general demureness that had been superimposed over the woman he-

Anyway. Not the time to get sentimental. 

He gave the console a gentle pat and thanked the TARDIS. Now that he knew what was happening, he knew what he had to do. It was too late to just leave, he’d been around Rose far too much and if the family ever picked up his scent, Rose and Martha would be sitting ducks. But he could keep Rose safe. At least until the end of the Family’s lifespan. That was what? Maybe another week? And he’d never had a problem with spending time with Rose. 

***

Rose was back up on her hill, drawing again. She had the makings of what would be a very fine picnic if John would ever show up. He seemed to have a problem with being on time, though. And as much as it irritated her, it was endearing in a way, because he always told the most fabulous stories when he finally made it to wherever he was going while his arms flailed about to enunciate his points. 

She couldn’t resist having a nibble though, and slipped an apple out of the basket. And since he wasn't here… she flipped to the portrait of him she’d been working on. His face was so interesting to look at and so hard to capture on paper because his expressions were always changing. It was like no part of him could ever stand to stay still for more than two seconds. 

His eyebrows were giving her a bit of difficulty though, the portrait either had not enough or too much and she giggled at the idea of not giving him any at all. Very Mona Lisa. 

She looked up from her drawing, watching the countryside, wondering where he would approach from, when an explosion from a nearby field knocked her sideways. An instinct rose up inside her, telling her to run toward the source, and so she did, sprinting across the pasture, hoping that no one was hurt. 

That had been two weeks ago. 

The Cartwright's farmhouse and barn had been destroyed in the explosion. Lucy Cartwright, the youngest daughter, had suffered a mild concussion. 

There had been one casualty, and Rose had been unwilling to leave her room since. 

It seemed she was doomed to lose the people she loved, first her husband, and now John. Martha would probably be next. 

One day, Martha hands her a silver fob watch and Rose finally understands. It whispers in her mind, its voice her own and quite efficiently explains the general situation coupled with a pressing urgency to  _ open the watch. _

Rose stares down at it, the numbness from the last few weeks fading just a bit, "I'm not real." She says softly, tracing the design. "Not completely." It makes sense. Explains why the details of her life remain a mystery. Why what memories she does have seem overly vague and slightly wrong when examined too closely. She'd just assumed it'd been her grief or finding herself a widow. 

"What's her name?" Rose wonders. 

"Rose Tyler." Martha responds from her spot across the room and isn't that just salt in the wound? 

“Of course we would have the same name.”: Rose says with a grim chuckle, “Couldn’t have come up with anything original I suppose.” It’s rude and bitter, but Rose isn’t feeling all too charitable right now now that she knows she’s nothing more than a placeholder for some mysterious woman that isn't even human.

"What’s your Rose, Martha, what's she like?" She has to know, need to know who this other woman is. If she’s going to die, she wants it to be worth it.

Martha takes a deep breath, her eyes locked somewhere over Rose’s shoulder. "She's wonderful. She’s brilliant, could probably talk circles around any of the professors here but she never would because she’s too kind. We travel the universe together and everywhere we go, with everything we see, she’s always kind, always trying to help people.” She snags Rose’s sketch book off the table and flips it open to a sketch she’d done of a building in a field with a crescent moon on the side and an alien city in the background. “This is New Earth. We went there to see a play on new Broadway. But there was trouble and Rose? She didn’t hesitate to offer help. All these places in your sketchbooks?” she thumbed through the pages, showing various ones off, “They're real. She's been to them. She's like the first bit of spring that comes through and let's you know that there's still hope, that things are going to get better."

Rose teases the clasp on the watch. So Rose Tyler is worth it then, worth so much more that the pitiful existence that Rose Smith will ever be able to achieve. And as much as Rose Smith wants to hate her, she can't. But before she goes, she has to know. "Will I still love him?" She blurts out, unable to stop herself. 

Martha's expression softens into something like pity. "I dont know."

And that's the worst part of all of this. Because Rose Smith is very much in love with John Smith. But this near mythical Rose Tyler that Martha makes sound something like a goddess? Would she love him and all his adorable quirks? Would she have ever even noticed him?

But what does any of that matter now? She asks herself. He's dead. Gone in the explosion that had taken out the Cartwright's farm. Maybe she should hope that Rose Tyler wont feel the same and spare the poor woman the grief. If her dreams are any indication, she's had enough pain for several lifetimes. 

Rose Smith refuses to hesitate any longer. "Thank you, Martha." She says earnestly, unwilling to go without letting Martha know how wonderful she is. "I don't know if your Rose says it enough, but you truly are a wonderful friend."

And then she opens the watch.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched the season 12 finale and went 'I can post a new chapter, as a treat'

The weeks after Rose becomes herself again are spent going to a series of wonderful spas and relaxing day trips, but honestly, Martha would have been happy just having a night or two to relax on the TARDIS. But there's something about the tension ever present in Rose's shoulders that clues Martha into the fact that Rose needs this too. 

"Can we go on an adventure today?" Martha asks before Rose can spout off the name of another resort. 

She blinks at Martha and there's a moment where Martha wonders if she's pushed too far too soon, but once the confusion clears, a nearly blinding grin parts the storm clouds that Martha had worried had taken up permanent residence on Rose's face. "I can hit the random button," she offers. 

Martha hesitates for a moment. The random button is well known for putting them on some of the most wonderful planets. But it's also put them in the most dangerous situations. The random button had been how they'd run into the family. But they can't be scared of it. And what's life without a little risk? It'd taken her a while to learn that, but Martha figured she had that lesson down pat. "Do it!"

Rose's grin grows impossibly larger and she slams her fist down on the red button. The TARDIS engines begin their wonderful groan and Rose laughs, properly laughs for the first time since the family. "Allons-y!" She cries as the shakey flight throws both of them to the grating.

Martha let's out a happy cheer because finally. Rose is finally acting like herself again. 

It wasn't meant to last. 

***

"We're going to be stuck here for  _ how _ long?" Martha demands, standing up to pace in front of the picnic table they'd managed to snag in front of the rather busy chippy. 

"Martha, sit down, please." Rose says rather insistently. She's doing her best to read the file that Sally Sparrow had given them months ago while still keeping its contents obscured from the people around them. 

Martha is bloody furious. She needs to move. She can't just sit while Rose figures this out. "I need to go for a walk." 

Rose looks up at her and Martha is especially furious at how understating Rose looks. "There's a park a block or two from here. I'll meet you there in a bit?" It's a peace offering and no matter how angry Martha is, it's not at Rose. The whole situation may be terrible, but it's not Rose's fault. 

"Come find me." Martha grabs her bottle of coke off the table and downs the rest of it, bussing away the basket her chips had come in before heading off in search of the park. 

*** 

Rose rubbed her temples, being this far from the TARDIS was giving her a headache and she could feel the ship's worry echoing across the decades. 

Thankfully, Sally Sparrow had left lovely, detailed instructions on exactly how they'd get back to the TARDIS and while the time frame wasn't ideal, it was better than being stuck in 1972 and having to wait the decades out. 

Rose kept picking at her chips and rereading the file, making sure she hadn't missed anything, when a man sat down across from her. "Not interested." She said before he could say anything. 

She could feel the surprise rolling off him in waves but he wasn't the first to approach Rose while she'd been trying to eat her lunch. She and Martha had been harrassed by no less than seven people offering a variety of things from phone numbers to drugs, to religious salvation. Whatever this bloke was selling, she wasn't buying. 

"I must say, that's one of the most polite greetings I’ve received in a long time." The man's tone was slightly amused and Rose didn't know how she knew. But she did. 

She looked up and was floored by silver curls and guarded hazel eyes, but she could still see the mischief lurking underneath. She glanced down at his outfit and made a mental note to tease him about the ruffled shirt and opera cape once she was sure who he was. "Do you know who I am?" She asked tentatively. His eyes held no recognition; no, this Doctor looks at her like she was a science project, and not even a particularly interesting one. He didn’t know her. 

He searched her face, taking her in. "Should I?"

"Not yet." She gave him a small, pained smile and flipped the file closed. "I'm a bit too early, Doctor. Best if I just go."

His rather expressive eyebrows rose with shock and nearly disappeared under his fluffy bangs. "My dear girl, there's no need to scurry off in a panic. A simple conversation won't destroy the universe. I’d know."

***

Martha skipped a rather nice rock across the pond in the park, thrilled to watch it get a few good skips in. Watching the water and the ducks was soothing and the tranquil environment had helped to snap her out of her rage. 

She'd have to get a job. Probably doing something stupid like working in a shop. While Rose... well, hopefully Rose would get a job too so they'd have money to spare. And who knew? Stuck in 1972 with cash to spare... maybe Martha could subtly take Rose on a date. Maybe Rose would finally notice her crush. 

A man in a long brown coat wandered up and leaned against a nearby tree. He looked despondent, like everything had suddenly gone horribly wrong. Maybe he'd been misplaced by the Angel's too. "You alright?" She asked, wondering if he would notice that she didn't quite fit here, just like she could tell that he was out of place. 

"I'm fine." He said back without even looking over at her. 

"You don't look alright." 

"I said I'm fine." He snapped, turning to glare at her but his eyes went a little wide when he spotted her, "Martha?" He asked, bewildered. "Oh! The Angels. I'm too early." He typed something into a keypad strapped to his wrist and when he looked back up there was untempered hope in his eyes. "You're brilliant, Martha Jones!" He said and then completely disappeared, right before her eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not entirely sure about this chapter but I decided to post it, hope you guys like it!

Martha never tells Rose about the strange man from the park who knew her name. Just like Rose never explains how she suddenly acquired all the money they would need for three months stuck in 1972.

She also never explains where the teleprompter came from, it just becomes one of those things. 

Their 'date' if you can even call it that is a spectacular failure that ended with Rose punching a bloke in the face after he'd called Martha a- well, it didn't bear repeating.

And while the memory of Rose standing up for her like that makes Martha shiver with delight, her pride be damned, the date becomes another thing they don't talk about. 

Years later, after everything is said and done, Martha will wonder if it was the right choice. 

***

It's supposed to be just a routine stop in Cardiff to refuel. Sure there are other rifts, and Rose has been mostly using those, but Rose had been wondering if anything in Cardiff has changed since she was last here with the Doctor and Jack. 

It's been a while since she thought about Jack, actually. She misses him, wonders if there's anyway to track him down. 

If he's still alive. 

Anyway. Back on track. Open the engines, refuel. Maybe do a bit of sightseeing and then back to traveling. No standing still. If she stands still for too long, the memories break in and threaten to overwhelm her with grief. 

The cloister bell chimes twice and the TARDIS shudders around her. 

"What is it?" Rose asks but the TARDIS doesn't reply, doesnt have to, Rose can feel it. Something awful and wrong in every way, heading straight toward them. 

Martha comes barreling out of the hall, her hair partially dry, "What's going on?"

"There's something outside." The TARDIS shakes again, taking flight and Rose feels like she might lose her breakfast all over the console. "We're accelerating into the far future. How is it still following us?"

She watched their time coordinates shoot up well past five billion and they're still going. 

It passes a trillion and it's all Rose can do to stay upright. Everything feels wrong. 

The TARDIS comes to what feels like a screeching halt and Rose and Martha both tumble to the ground. 

"Where are we?" Martha grabs hold of the railing, slowly righting herself. 

"The year 100 trillion." Rose gasps out before heaving into a conveniently placed bucket the TARDIS had brought for her. The floor is cool on her sweaty forehead. "We need to go out there. See whatever it is. But I-" she heaves again, retching into the bucket. 

"You can't go anywhere like this." Martha says gently, pulling her hair up and out of her face. "We should get you to the infirmary."

There's a knock on the door. Rose's hearts stutter in her chest; she knows that rythm. She and Jack had come up with it as a sort of code for whenever one of them had been captured. The Doctor had grudgingly gone along with it.. But it's not possible. It can't be him. 

The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife but she can distinctly make out the sound of a key sliding into the lock. The TARDIS shudders as the door opens and Rose feels like she might hurl again- but then it all stops. Jack steps over the threshold, the tension vanishes and while Rose feels a bit clammy and tired, her nausea and dizziness have completely disappeared.

"Who the hell are you?" Martha growls, standing in front of Rose protectively. 

Rose rasps out a horse, "Jack," as she staggers to her feet. 

Jack, who'd been looking around the console in wonder, zeros in on Rose. He takes off across the console room with a laugh , scooping her up in his arms. "Oh my god! You're here!"

He tries to kiss her and Rose is laughing and crying while she stops him, "I just lost all my breakfast, not a good time."

He settles for her forehead and both cheeks, crushing her against him. It's only pressed so close that she realizes that he's what was freaking out the TARDIS and making her sick. 

"Jack, what happened?"

He pulls back just enough to look at her, "I was hoping the Doctor could tell me." He admitted, his eyes flickering over to Martha. 

Rose feels her eyes fill with tears and she shakes her head. "He's gone." 

Jack looked stricken, "What do you mean gone?"

"He's trapped in a parallel universe. He can't come back. 

***

Martha passed Rose the silver fob watch she'd knicked off of Yana while he wasn't looking and watched the shock and horror overcome her friend's face. 

"What is it, Rose?" Jack asked as he slowly put his clothes back on. 

"He's a Time Lord." Rose whispered, her fingers trailing across the circles on the front. 

  
  


***

Professor Yana, or the Master, as he prefers, is a massive dick, Martha decides after about ten minutes. 

The four of them are caught in a tense standoff inside the TARDIS. The Master cant use any of the controls; they're keyed to Rose's biosignature and he doesn't have the weaponry to threaten them. 

Rose, seems rather hesitant to tell him that she is not in fact, the Doctor, and he keeps referencing what must be past evil schemes hoping for some kind of reaction. 

Jack, is busy keeping himself planted between Martha and the Master, to keep her safe apparently.

But the Master finally catches on, "You're not the Doctor."

"No, I'm not."

"But this is his TARDIS." The Master looked around, "You've really let the place go."

The TARDIS growls, a panel on the console near Rose rattling. "You shouldn't talk about her like that."

The Master laughs, cold and vicious. "This hunk of junk is lucky the Doctor ever noticed it. Should have been decommissioned ages ago."

He kicks the console and TARDIS snarls in her fury, the loose panel finally coming open. "Jack!" Rose shouted and Jack closed his eyes, shielding Martha’s as well. 

She knows better than to look into the vortex. But she can feel the heart of the TARDIS thrumming like a secondary pulse under her skin. She can reach out, follow the delicate lines of the Master's life until she finds exactly why the TARDIS had opened herself up. 

_ The Drums _ . The four beat pattern rings in her ears, familiar and new all at once. She's heard this before. They'd been part of the song she and the TARDIS had sung together the first time they had come together to save the Doctor. In this context, though, with them winding their way through the mind of a small child and twisting up everything that child could ever be; it was revolting. 

It was a simple matter to break the connection.

She hadn't counted on him regenerating.


	12. Chapter 12

The Master falls, crumpling onto the floor in a heap before his regeneration is even entirely finished. 

Rose exhales and the golden light filling the console room goes back to where it came from, the open panel closing itself without prompting. 

"Jack-" Rose whispers, her voice weak. She's already starting to sag. Jack releases Martha, ready to surge forward and catch her, but Martha is already there, doing her best to slow Rose's descent to the grating with gentle hands. 

"Her pulse is fine. I think she just fainted." Martha declares and Jack relaxes.

He goes to check the Master and receives a small shock for his efforts. "I think he's fine. Whole new face though."

"Regeneration." Martha says in way of explanation, still fussing over Rose. "Jack do you think you could help me get her to the med bay?"

They try to get Rose to the med bay, but the TARDIS keeps redirecting them to an empty white room that smells vaguely of roses and feels incredibly calm. They leave Rose there, at the TARDIS's insistence. 

The Master proves to be a trickier problem. There's nowhere on the TARDIS that would be secure enough to hold him, not while Rose is still out. 

The ship shows them to the white room again and Jack triple checks that she's sure before putting the Master in there too. "I want to stay. Keep an eye on both of them." Martha nods, she understands what Jack means. 

"We can do it in shifts. If you're not too tired, you can go first. I can come back in a few hours." She's loath to leave Rose, but Martha also hasn't slept in nearly twenty four hours. She needs it.

"I'll be fine for a while." Jack sits on the floor, putting himself between Rose and the Master. "The TARDIS will wake you if anything changes."

*** 

Nothing changes for nearly six months. 

Martha is starting to worry that Rose will never wake up again. 

The only reason Marth knows how long it's been is that she's started keeping tallies on the wall in her bedroom. 

Jack tries, ineffectively, to steer them out of the time vortex but the TARDIS has more or less shut the console down. He cant get her to power up so they're stuck drifting in the vortex until Rose wakes up. 

It's a whole lot of nothing, trying to fill the endless hours with something, anything. Martha studies, for lack of anything better to do, and Jack- well, she doesn't really know what he gets up to. 

It's during one of her shifts watching Rose that Martha starts talking to her.

"I think I'm in love with you." Is what she starts with, which isn't the best as far as it goes, but maybe it could shock Rose awake. "I know that's probably not super great to hear when you're in a coma, but I had to say it at some point right? And I'm never going to be brave enough to say it to your face, because you've got the Doctor. And I know you love him. Which is fine.

"I thought, for a while, that if I was there enough, if I helped you enough, you'd be able to move on and see me. But I've just realized that I don't even know if you like women!" Martha wiped at her eyes, brushing away the tears that had been building. "God, I'm so stupid. I didn't even realize I like women until I met you. I hadn't even really considered it being an option. But you've shown me so much, Rose. I-"

There's a groan from across the room and Martha nearly leaps about a foot in the air. 

The Master is waking up.

"Jack!" Martha shouts, moving to put herself between the Master and Rose once more, keeping a wary eye on him. 

Jack is coming. She can feel the TARDIS trying to reassure her and it's nice, but she doesn't know how much she trusts it. 

"Rassilon." The Master mutters like it's a curse. "My head." He clutches at his head, rolling on to his side. "Why is it so bloody bright?"

The TARDIS hums and sounds nearly apologetic, lowering the lights a bit. "Thanks," he says, giving the floor an affectionate pat. "Much better than my TARDIS. She hated me."

"Stay still." Martha snaps, praying that Jack will get here faster. 

The Master's eyes zero in on her. "Oh. You! You're the one who stole my watch!"

"Yeah, I am." Martha says boldly, though she's properly terrified. "You tried to kill us,"

His gaze flickers to Rose, groans again and closes his eyes. "That's why my head hurts. Drums are gone. It's not that it hurts. It's that it doesn't hurt. Too quiet."

He's trying to stand up when Jack comes in, "Oh good! The handsome one is back."

Jack moves next to Martha, "Has she stirred?"

Martha shakes her head, still worried. "He only just woke up. I don't know why she's still asleep."

The Master has managed to become mostly upright by leaning heavily against a wall. "Could one of you idiots get me some food? Been asleep for six months. I'm starving."

"Why should we do anything for you?" Martha snaps. "You tried to kill us and you're the reason Rose is still comatose."

"I will admit to trying to kill you, might still do so if I'm feeling frisky later. But I am not the reason that  _ idot _ -" he pointed at Rose, "is in a coma. I didn't ask her to go bloody rooting around in my head messing with stuff." 

The TARDIS made a noise that was almost like an exasperated sigh and a portion of the wall popped open to reveal a sandwich, a bag of crisps and some sort of smoothie. 

Jack and Martha both glanced at the ceiling, muttering  _ 'traitor' _ under their breaths. 

The Master devoured his food quickly and Martha took advantage of his distraction to check over Rose again. Still no change. "You're going about that all wrong." The Master called through a mouthful of crips, "She's not human. You can't treat her like one." 

"Oh and I suppose you know all about how to treat her." Martha snarled. "What, were you a doctor on your home planet?"

The Master rolls his eyes. "We didn't have doctors. Not in the way you're thinking. Human medicine is so  _ primitive _ compared to Gallifrey. Speaking of Gallifrey, you two know how the war turned out?"

Jack and Martha don't reply. The Master gives them a look eerily familiar to the Doctor's you-just-dribble-on-your-shirt look. Jack hates it. "Right. Well, give me ten minutes to finish this smoothie and I'll see if I can get this hunk of junk out of the vortex."

He can't. Sixteen hours later, a good chunk of which is spent with the Master just screaming and threatening the time roter, he finally gives up. 

"Right. Well that was a waste of time." The Master mutters. "Next course of action: time to wake the princess."

"The hell you will! We're not letting you anywhere near her." Martha spits. 

The Master glares at her. "Look, blondie obviously isn't waking up on her own anytime soon. It's been six months right? By all rights she should be awake. So if she's not waking up on her own we need to go in and get her."

"What you're talking about is considered telepathic assault in four galaxies!" Jack ground out.

"To  _ humans _ . She's not human. On Gallifrey, well, on Gallifrey she'd already have been killed for simply existing. TARDIS sisters had long since been outlawed. They were a legend before I was even loomed." The Master mused. "For any Time Lord to be in a coma this long they'd either force a regeneration or establish telepathic contact."

Jack and Martha shared a look. From what she'd gathered from the few books on Time Lords in the library, Martha knew what he was saying was true. But she didn't like it. The Master had still tried to kill them.

"Fine." Jack grit out. "But if you try  _ anything _ -"

"The TARDIS will burn me so quickly I'll never be able to regenerate. Trust me, I have enough sense of self preservation to know better than to fuck with a TARDIS sister." 

They all head back to the zero room, Jack and Martha anxious and fidgety. "The TARDIS will protect Rose." Jack says reassuringly. Martha knows he's right, but it's still unsettling to watch the Master establish telepathic contact.

"She's got some lovely defense built up. That'll be fun to try and get around." The Master mutters under his breath. "Oh, oh my-" like a marionette with the strings cut, the Master slumped forward. His fingers stayed locked on her temples but the rest of his body had gone slack, almost like it was empty. 


	13. Chapter 13

The Master falls into Rose's mind, unable to control his entrance. He'd reached out to tap on her shields, just to test them. But it was like she'd reached out and pulled him in. 

Her mind glows golden and is sweltering. He tugs on his metaphorical collar, wishing it were cooler. "Rassilon, you've been through alot." He mutters, taking in the cluttered and disorganized mindscape. 

He works his way through the chaos, careful to avoid disturbing anything; he _ really _ doesn't want to see any of her silly memories. "God, really, how hard is it to keep your bloody mental landscape organized?" He snaps after nearly tripping over a memory of- what the hell _ is _that thing? It doesn't matter. That's not what he's here for. He needs to find that spark of self. The girl's soul, for lack of a better word, and make sure she wakes up. Otherwise he'll be stuck in the vortex with those two apes… forever. Or at least until the TARDIS breaks down, they crash through the vortex and are torn apart by the time winds/vortisaurs. Wouldn't that be lovely.

"Come on then, girl!" He shouts, hoping to draw her out, but his voice just echoes back to him, unanswered. 

He keeps moving, unwilling to stand still, lest he be caught up in the mess. The place where her mind and the TARDIS merge is one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. He can see their timelines there, so delicately and artfully twined together that they seem one. The raw power of the vortex is tucked just outside the girl's mind, on the TARDIS's side of the bond and the Master wonders if he could reach out and take it. He'd be all powerful, a God. He could remake the universe in any way he liked. 

The TARDIS grumbled at him in warning so he turned his back to the light. As tempting as that power was, it would destroy him. 

He surveyed the mess in front of him, realizing he'd never be able to find her if he had to gingerly make his way through it all. "Fine." He rolled up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work, carefully boxing up her memories and making sure they went back to their proper places. She was surprisingly organized, behind the clutter. 

"You hear that, Rose Tyler?" He muttered, having finally remembered the girl's name. "I _ complimented _you. That's a big deal so you should just hurry up and make this easier on both of us."

There's no response, but he wasn't entirely expecting one. 

He loses track of time as he slowly works to rebuild her mind. But it's worth it, he thinks as he looks back on the completed sections. 

It's strange. He's only actually talked to this girl for a handful of minutes and generally, he hates people, but he likes her. Feels a strange protectiveness over her he's not entirely used to. In fact, he may not even try to kill her after this is all over. 

***

She's coming back together, he notes after finishing her childhood up to age ten. He can feel her fluttering around, almost like a butterfly, can hear her giggles echoing around him. 

The first time he meets her properly, she's a sullen sixteen year old, moping after a boy named Jimmy. "What are you doing here?" She snaps. 

"Sorting things. You could help me, if you like." He quips, never looking away from his work. 

"This is my head, you're not supposed to be here." 

"You're not supposed to be scattered all about." He snaps back. "Pull yourself together."

She fades out before she can reply. 

***

"You're not the Doctor." She says the next time she pops up. This time, she does start helping him sort, efficiently boxing up a series of memories he'd been struggling to figure out for what felt like forever. 

"No, I'm not." He replies simply. 

"You feel similar. Not the same." Her face scrunched up adorably- oh, when had he started to think of anything, much less _ her _as adorable? "It's like… two tee shirts. They're both tee shirts, but they feel different."

"I am the Master and you will obey me!" He declares with less dramatic flare than usual. 

Rose laughs, "Pull the other one, mate. Thought 'the Doctor' was bad but that's terrible."

The Master snorts. "Well, I like it." 

They go back to putting her back together in silence. It's not awkward, and the Master is surprised that he doesn't want to hurt her. He'd been expecting to finally get her back together and immediately want to hurt her again. How strange to care about a person aside from himself. 

Her memories become so much more interesting once the Doctor sweeps her away, so much more character changing. He watches her evolve as he slots each one away, confidence grows bold in her eyes, her shoulders get straighter, she stands taller. One or two things cause her to crumple again, but she always stands back up, more like a sunflower thriving in the light that is the Doctor than the rose of her namesake. 

They're all like this, the Doctor's _ pets _. They thrive with him and are near useless on their own. Of course she would be no better. 

But then she loses the Doctor. He watched her crumple, sobbing into her hands as she remembers. 

He's quick to fill the next bits in, to give her some distance from her grief. He reprimands himself for caring. But she starts to stand tall again, and he can see the ferocity in her eyes. It's new, and he likes it. 

She gets back to work, quickly repairing the last of the damage to her mindscape. "So you finally remembered how to do that?" The Master snarks, a bit miffed at the large amount of work he'd had to do.

"Yeah." She says quietly, looking around to make sure everything is in its proper place. "You're the Master."

"I've told you that." He reminds her.

"What are you doing in here?" She asks. There's something sad about her now, a heaviness he doesn't quite understand. He hates it. 

"Came to wake you up. You've been put for too long. Your… friends are worried." She seems to shrink against the wall, almost like she's afraid of waking up. 

"I liked not remembering." She admits quietly, rubbing at her face, is she crying? "Things didn't hurt when I was all scattered." 

"Things are always going to hurt. That's no reason to stay holed up in your head hiding from everything. What would the Doctor say?" He questions, knowing that if she's anything like the others, the thought of disappointing the Doctor will be enough to reignite the fire in her. 

"Come on then, Rose Tyler. I don't want to spend any more time in here. Honestly. Humans. Have you ever heard of proper organization?" He whines and she gives him a weak smile. 

"Fine." She pushes him out of her mind, more gently than any proper Time Lord would have, he settles back into his body, feeling how stiff his limbs are. He must have been in there for a few hours.

"Jack! They're waking up!" He hears the girl yell. Her name is Martha, he reminds himself. Humans like it when you remember their names. More willing to listen, and while he may not have cared before, he's probably going to need them to like him a bit if he's going to have any hope of a comfortable life.

He pulls his hands off of Rose's temples, breaking the connection. There are footsteps behind him but his mind is still telling and he doesn't want to open his eyes. Everything is going to be too bright. Rose groans directly in his ear, he realizes he can feel her chest rising and falling beneath him and scrambles to get off of her. He hadn't realized he was pretty much laying on top of her.

Jack's voice joins Martha's just as the Master starts trying to open his eyes. He could kiss the TARDIS; she's got the lights at the perfect level where he can see, but they're not blinding. 

Martha is leaning over Rose, gently whispering things to her and Rose is nodding along. Someone produces a glass of water that she drinks eagerly. That's good. She'll need food too, eventually. "How long has it been since I went in?" He asks the room at large and Martha jolts a bit, as if she'd forgotten he was there. 

"Six months." Jack says darkly. 

"Oh good. That explains a lot." The Master propped himself against one of the walls again. 

"Six months?" Rose works to prop herself up with Martha's help. "I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"It's okay, Rose." Martha gives her more water, "Just try to relax. We're here for you."

*** 

They fuss over Rose for what feels like hours while the Master leans against his wall and wishes the TARDIS would give him another sandwich. The first one had been delicious. 

Jack, at some point, chucks an energy bar at him that he knows well. Emergency rations. He had no idea the Doctor even carried those on his TARDIS, he'd thought the old fool was too snoody for something as simple as a ration bar. How the times had changed. 

Rose properly freaks out when she realizes that she was actually out for a year. But her friends reassure her and promise that it's fine. Jack even jokes that they can pretend it never happened. "Call it the year that never was." He teases and Rose relaxes. 

They're disgusting, the Master decides. All friendship-y and inside jokes and laughing together. He hates them. 

Rose manages to land the TARDIS in Cardiff, to drop Jack off. She's still shaky on her feet but she also insists that Jack probably has a life he needs to get back to. 

Jack gives her a kiss on the cheek and makes her promise to stay in touch. 

Martha disappears into her room and reappears sometime later, holding a backpack. 

  
  


The Master has been lounging in the jumpseat the whole time, wondering if Rose would let him use the wardrobe room to get some new clothes. Yana's outfit isn't bad, but it's certainly not him. 

"Martha?" Rose looks pale and slightly terrified. 

"Can you take me home?" Martha asks and Rose wilts. 

"Yeah, of course." She sets the coordinates and takes off, landing gently on the street in front of Martha's flat. "Here we are."

"Thanks. I- I need to get back to school." Martha says and even the Master can see what a weak excuse that is. 

"Of course." Rose says again. She leans against the console, her arms crossed over her chest. 

"And, the thing is- I had this friend. And she was hopelessly in love with this bloke. But he never- anyway. I think it's just time." Martha looks nervous but resolved. 

Rose smiles but it's so, so sad. "Go be brilliant, Martha Jones. You might just save the world."

"I already have." Martha teases, giving Rose a quick hug. 

Then she's gone too. 

Rose leans over the console, her head nearly touching the time roter. "Well that was just touching." The Master laughed. 

Rose jumped and looked over at him like she'd forgotten he was there. "Anywhere you want me to drop you off?" She asked apprehensively.

"Well since you're offering, I know this great little planet, custom tailored suits in two hours and they have an arcade." He went over to the console, spinning one of the dials. "I think a wardrobe change is in order, don't you?"

She looked him over, finally seeming to notice that his clothes were a bit big on him. "By all means, lead the way."

He grinned at her, setting the coordinates, "Trust me that much already?"

"No, but maybe I like the trouble." She reached out for the dematerialization lever, giving him a cheeky grin. 

"Then by all means, let's go."

Rose laughed with delight, throwing the lever. The engines groaned and wheezed, the whole TARDIS shaking around them. "You're insane!" The Master cried, gripping the console. "No TARDIS flight should be this rough."

"You just don't know how to have fun!"

The Master grumbled under his breath, he knew how to have fun. He just wasn't crazy. Well, not anymore at least.

The TARDIS landed and they both ran over to the doors, almost racing to see who could get there first. "Rose Tyler, may I present the best tailors in the Mutters Spiral." 

He threw the doors open to a screaming crowd and loud music. "Is that Queen?" Rose shouted to be heard over the roar of the crown. 

The Master just nodded, completely gobsmacked. 

"Well come on then. She brought us here for a reason." Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the crowd. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this one! But don't worry! Rose and the Master will return! Including their adventures at the queen concert with a few suprise guest stars! Keep an eye out


End file.
